7,000 people face losing vote

ABOUT 7,000 Reading people could lose their vote in the General Election if they do not return their electoral registration forms quickly.

Reading Borough Council is spending £15,000 to sort out the mess in the town's electoral roll.

Last year an internal audit revealed more than one in five of Reading's postal votes could have been fraudulent at June's election.

Part of the problem was the electoral register, which had not been thoroughly checked since 2001.

Now the council is going door-to-door to ensure that people who have not re-registered in two years are still at the same address.

Each existing voter has until Thursday, March 31, to re-register.

If they have not done so in the last two years they will be crossed off the electoral roll.

If a General Election is called on Thursday, May 5 - the date when county council elections are being held elsewhere in England - then anyone not re-registered by March 31 will not be able to vote.

Anyone who has moved house and is not currently on the electoral roll must fill in the form and send it back by Friday, March 11, or they will also be denied a vote.

At the moment about 75.2 per cent of the eligible population has sent back the form - three per cent less than last year and well below the national average of almost 90 per cent.

This is despite the council's usual annual canvass and three reminders.

Now council staff are chasing the remaining 3,693 households - about 7,000 voters - with more letters and visits to get them registered.

Redlands and Park wards - with their large student population - have the highest level of unreturned forms at 10.6 and 11.9 per cent respectively.

Mapledurham has the lowestnumber at 1.4 per cent.

Following a police investigation into allegations of electoral fraud in Redlands ward last year, the Crown Prosecution Service is still deciding whether to prosecute.

All three political parties on the council have joined forces to urge people to make sure they send back their completed forms in time.

Deputy leader of the council Jo Lovelock said: "In the interests of having your say and in the interest of democracy, it is really important that people register now."

Tory opposition leader Fred Pugh said: "People must realise that they can't complain about the Government if they don't use their vote."

Liberal Democrat leader Bob Green said: "Liberal Democrats fully support this campaign to get the electoral register as accurate as possible. That is an essential move towards ensuring that votes are fair.

To check if you are on the electoral roll, call (0118) 939 0778/0292 or 0284.

West Berkshire Council is sending letters to people urging them to make sure they are on the electoral roll. The council estimates that 5,000 people are not registered. The number to call to check in West Berkshire is 01635 519468 and 519463.